


Walking Out On Destiny

by CerebralHedonist



Series: Destiny Divergence - Final Fantasy VII [1]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, On The Way To A Smile: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2019-03-07 17:59:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13440189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CerebralHedonist/pseuds/CerebralHedonist
Summary: With a true view of just who his lover was, Vincent makes a choice that alters the entirety of Sephiroth's course of Destiny. Through Cigs, Mako, and a severe amount of wtf, Sephiroth walks out on the dark future of his birth into the life of one small blond. Even when you diverge from the path chosen, some people you are irrevocably destined to to meet, to have, and to keep.





	1. Walking Out on Destiny - Pilot Episode

**Author's Note:**

> Harli: I started this fic way back in… 2010? And its been running for years but in 2015 I just stopped. I didn’t like how completely inconsistent the plot was considering how fucking brutal it was about to get. So, I took a hiatus, the came back to it during Hurricane Harvey (seriously, fuck that thing) and decided to fix everything I did completely wrong as far as timeline, description, style, and consistency. So, um… yeah. I will be posting the rewrite once a week in order to keep this streamline and not let you wait. Mind you I am now focusing a lot on my original stuff so once week is best I can do considering I’m working on like a thousand things plus fulltime job. However, I love this fic, you guys love this fic… so… I brought it back and it will be finished as intended.   
> Thank you, guys, for all your support through the good, the bad, and the hella fuckin’ gay. 
> 
> Let’s go!

 

“Am I sure? Am I sure?! If this is just about _me_ , then _yes_ , I’m sure!”

“What kind of woman are you, Lucrecia…?” Vincent whispered softly, his incarnadine eyes narrowed at what was meant to be the love of his life. She’d spurned his feeling for the man she swore she didn’t love. Ran straight into the arms of a deranged psychopath! She even continued this hellish research and drifted away from everything that made him love her. Worst of all… she now carried the seed of this man and was overjoyed about it after having tried so hard – made sure he’d known how hard they’d tried. He accepted all that. _All of it_. Passively, without complaint. No words, no fight, nothing.

Now, Lucrecia dared to tell him that she and this hell scum she called ‘dear’ were going to use that life, that life they worked so “hard” to conceive in an awful experiment?! All for what? To create super soldiers and ensure ShinRa’s hold on its monopoly?

What in the hell was wrong with her?!

“This is none of your business!” she sneered, something on the edge of her voice cracking. “It _never_ was.”

Vincent’s conscious was as heavy as his head as he stared at the ground.

This was a side of her that he wasn’t prepared for. They were together here merely a few weeks ago, shared whispers in the dark of love under the cloak of night while Hojo hauled up in his lab and he knew the gloriousness of her body. When she looked him in the eyes, he saw tears of such love and joy there that he believed for a moment that she loved him too. But, he should’ve known with the distance she put between them afterward that what she saw wasn’t him, but someone from a not so distant past. And that man, Hojo, observed their every misstep with a reserved amusement that he could feel bleeding into his skin.

“Valentine,” he called, voice deep with that awful lilt of amusement that itched Vincent’s trigger finger. “I won’t pretend to like you. In fact, I’ve never pretended to be anything, and I’ll tell you that I’ve been more than honest in my dishonesty. So as advice from one man to another, only a righteous fool such as you would fall in love with a career scientist.”

Vincent cut his eyes at Hojo, a threat in his gaze. The doctor merely smirked, his lips quirking almost evilly.

Scientists like us don’t have morals to answer to. All that exists is the question to be answered and the drive to answer it. I’ve been completely transparent in my hate for you and my endeavors and I told you from the beginning that any child begat in this facility will be for the good of research, even if it's my own. You thought your love would stop her then you clearly have no knowledge of a woman’s will to power.”

Vincent bit his tongue to stop the curses he wished to say to this man. He walked away without retort allowing Hojo to take it for defeat because that’s what it was. Vincent would never say it out loud; never as a Turk and never as a man. However, in the silence of his mind, he couldn’t hold in the clear and utter shattering of his heart.

Hojo leaned back in his desk chair, eyeing the gun in the desk drawer he’d left ajar during the fight. There was a strange juxtaposition of disappointment and relief over not having needed it. Vincent’s convictions were something to be admired. They were a breath of fresh air to the “good of science” atmosphere he surrounded himself with.

He closed the door on the gun and the things he’d never say out loud.

 

 

**Year One of the Jenova Project: Nibelheim Lab**

Vincent lazed on a couch in ShinRa Manor where he often found himself when Lucrecia or Hojo would immerse themselves in research that had been suspiciously successful lately. Dr. Gast had just left an hour go. He popped in every once in a while but was often nowhere to be found for much of Lucrecia’s pregnancy. He was too busy enjoying married life with his young bride Vincent supposed. Marrying the subject of his research. Scientists were a strange breed. Vincent hadn’t brushed upon his scientific studies and ancient lore since his father passed away, so it took a bit for anything to make sense.

Cetra, that’s what the remains of Jenova were meant to be; that’s what Lucrecia’s child was destined to be, or so they said. It was ludicrous to him, but, it was what she wanted and as much as he hated it, he backed off. Being mere mortal, he couldn’t wrap his mind around injected a living fetus with alien matter. Feh, and his father wondered why he never went into ShinRa’s Research department. Shooting people was much less morally questionable than experimenting on them.

He put his arm over his eyes hoping to block out the annoying fluorescent lighting in. Damn things never turned off and they hadn’t bothered to give him his own real room. Sleep clouded the edges of his consciousness and was more than happy to succumb to it. Then, the strangest sounds filtered through the peaceful darkness.

_Crying?_

Vincent lifted his arm to check his watch. Three in the morning… what the fuck? He got up figuring he most likely wouldn’t be able to sleep through that racket. It was just inhumanely loud to even close his eyes again. Vincent got to his feet and made his way to the labs. He passed Hojo and Lucrecia’s bed as he reached for the secret door. Lucrecia was curled against Hojo in some form cuddling while the professor had his back to her, snorting softly. It was surprising the old vampire even slept. Still… seriously? They really couldn’t hear that?

Vincent grumbled, walking down the precarious spiral wooden stairs. The crying echoed louder at an earsplitting volume and he pinched the bridge of his nose at the sound. When he touched down on solid earth, the crying became annoying. This wasn’t in his job description and he wasn’t about to make it a habit, but if he was going to sleep before making the morning rounds, this kid had to shut the hell up. He went inside the labs following the echoes and found a generic incubator with too small a body inside. Vincent hesitantly leaned over it, brows furrowing and eyes squinting against the noise. A premature baby cried through an oxygen mask and wiggled as though everything hurt. A soft sound like hydraulics caught his ear and he popped the casing of the incubator curiously. Its mouth opened wide and screamed loud. Vincent realized it truly was in pain.

Vincent wasn’t an idiot. He knew that premature babies were susceptible to disease and that was the reason they were incubated. However, there was something severely wrong with the way this one was made. Carefully, he picked up the wiggling little thing and arranged him so that he rested limply against his chest, still crying. Something wet soaked his hands and he pulled back to find blood on his fingerless gloves. While balancing the baby against him, he felt around the crib for the source of the baby’s injury and winced as he was stabbed. He whipped back the cover and found strategically placed pins under the glass. Every few seconds one slowly rose, spewing some sort of liquid and then receded.

What… the… hell?!

Vincent supported the poor thing’s head and removed the oxygen mask. Once it was gone, the baby began to quiet down to a mild whimpering until it was contentedly lying in his arms. It breathed deep breaths as if the oxygen mask had hindered more than helped. Vincent couldn’t help but gaze down at the helpless creature as he held him with care for his back. Big eyes slowly opened, leaving Vincent stricken by deep, cosmic green pools glowing with Mako. They dilated and slit like feline pupils in an attempt to focus on the shape above him. Crimson and jade clashed with each other and without Vincent being conscious of it, he began to rock the baby slowly. The baby kept his eyes on him the whole time even as they began to droop. Vincent walked to one of the many chairs in and took a seat. He leaned back in it, getting a bit comfortable so that he and the baby were reclined with its head positioned against his chest. The baby’s ear was right against his heartbeat. Jade eyes closed and a deep breath came from the child that made Vincent ache somewhere deep inside that not even Turk training could suppress.

“What the fuck have you done, Lu?”

|

|

**Year 2 of the Jenova Project: Junon Base Labs.**

“Where is he?!”

Lucrecia looked up irritably from her charts, sighing her displeasure. “Who, dear?”

“The boy, you idiot!” Hojo spat.

“He’s gone?”

Hojo gave her a condescending look. “No, dear, he’s on the ceiling again.”

“Don’t take that tone with me. Vincent!”

One gloved hand came up from the couch in response while the rest of the body was obscure. Vincent usually just ignored the two of them until he was called and developed a habit of lazing around considering nothing went on at the labs. Lucrecia rolled her eyes at his laziness, judging him silently.

“It’s Sephiroth,” she said, tossing a clip of tranquilizing bullets at the hand. They were caught gracefully. “Bring him back safely?”

Vincent sat up and loaded his Peacemaker with the tranquilizers though he doubted he’d need them. He hardly ever did. Grudgingly getting to his feet, Vincent shoved his hands into his pockets and headed out, already knowing his destination. The kid went to the same place every time he gave Tweedle-dee and Tweedledum the slip. He allowed them to believe that he was just adept at tracking him down just so the kid could get a small break from them. Taking a long stroll was infinitely better than listening to the two of them crunch numbers. As he passed them he noted the way Hojo eyed him and glared back. As a normal person, he would’ve ignored it since Hojo had a very vocal opinion about his poor posture, but as a Turk, Vincent felt his skin crawl as those pitch-black eyes roamed over him in what he could only guess was suspicion. They were idiots, but, Hojo possessed a very intense perceptiveness that kept Vincent on guard.

Vincent found the toddler in the usual, very odd place. The diminutive specimen stood at the end of the Junon’s Mako Cannon, which was almost complete in its construction. His bowl cut hair whipped around in the wind, sparkling strands of silver, white, and gray fluttering around his cheeks in two long bangs that nearly obstructed his eyes. How he’d gotten that color was beyond Vincent’s comprehension and he chalked it up to the Mako treatments… and probably the kid being a literal alien hybrid. He was practically swimming in the Junon Navy pajamas Vincent had managed to acquire for him. The medical bracelet that had become a permanent part of his wrist glinted in the evening sun letting all know he was ShinRa property.

“Sephiroth?” he called calmly.

“Da nurse wet me out,” the child said softly, Vincent could just barely hear him. “She said I needed fwesh awr. Den she said I gotta go back and I didn’t wanna. She twied to make me and I got mad and den…”

“Mm, then what?”

“She fell ova. All dis wed stuff came outta her head. I wan afta dat.”

Vincent blinked comprehending what he just heard. Great, it was the goldfish all over again. “You killed her.”

Sephiroth whipped around and stomped his foot defensively. “I didn’t mean to!”

Vincent pretended not to see the crack in the cannon’s iron. How did this kid keep getting up here anyway?

“I didn’t mean too just wike I didn’t mean to with Fio! It just happened! Docta Lulu and Hojo’ll be mad,” he frowned at Vincent, a certain type of fear in his eyes that Vincent struggled not to be affected by. “You ain’t gonna tell ‘em are you?”

The Turk smile da little bit at how he said his mother’s name. “No, Sephiroth... You know me by now. Just be more careful. We can give you all the goldfish you want, but a human is not replaceable.”

Sephiroth turned his back to Vincent, standing against the backdrop of the sunset. Vincent moved to join him at his side, glancing down at him a bit curiously. Beautiful jade eyes glowing almost as brilliantly as the sun with laces of blue frosting them met his gaze curiously. They were so intense, so intelligent and Vincent felt moved by them every time he aw them.

“Say, Vince… awe… awe you my daddy?”

Vincent gave a start, but sighed and simply asked, “What gave you that idea?”

“Slimy Hojo said that I was his… best special man?”

“Specimen.”

“Yeah, and Lulu said not to say that infwont of your son. I dun want Slimy Hojo to be my daddy.”

Vincent smiled and crouched in front of the child. “I’m not your father, Sephiroth. I never will be… I never _could_ be.”

Sephiroth was already on the verge of tears.

“ _But_ , I _can_ be your uncle. The uncle who lets you do stuff your parents don’t like.”

The smile that came across the child’s face lit up something that Vincent was so sure had died the moment Lucrecia left him. “Unka Vince!”

Vincent found himself chuckling quietly. “Back to the lab now?”

Sephiroth nodded, happy that it was _his_ decision to return. “But you gotta wead to me! I wanna wead da one wit da weird eggies and Sam!”

“Sure thing kid.”

|

|

**Year Three of Jenova Project: Junon Base Lab**

 

Sephiroth pressed back against the glass, his tiny body trembling as he held Tonny, his tonberry doll close to his body. There was no damn way he was letting him go!

“Come on kid. Professor Hojo says you ain’t s’posed to have toys. Give it up.”

Sephiroth could speak for himself thank you very much! “Get away from me! A big dummy like you don’t tell me what I can do!”

The lab tech rolled his eyes and stalked forward reaching out for Tonny. Sephiroth twisted away from him and firmly planted his newly developed canines into the man’s hand. He tasted the coppery flavor of blood instantly and pulled away with a triumphant smirk. The red liquid trailed down his chin and he swiped his tongue over it finding the taste coppery but strangely sweet. It was actually kind of like the candy Vince snuck in. It put a terrible smile on the boy’s face.

“You lil’ bastard!” the tech screamed and raised his uninjured hand to smack Sephiroth.

Sephiroth flinched, but a stronger, glove-covered hand grabbed the wrist before it struck. The tech looked back into the crimson stare of Vincent Valentine, the scientists’ pet Turk.

“This doesn’t concern you!”

“Uncle Vince! He’s trying to take Tonny from me!” Sephiroth tattled, blood still trailing the corner of his mouth.

Vincent arched his brow at the man. “Now, why are you about to abuse a child over the possession of a stuffed animal?”

“Hojo’s orders. He ain’t supposed to have any toys. Hojo thinks it’ll hinder his development!”

“The only thing hindering his development is your vocabulary,” Vincent remarked calmly, thought he twisted man’s wrist painfully and shoved him on his way. “Tell Hojo I said he can keep the damn Tonberry!”

He bought the thing after all.

Sephiroth sighed and slid down the glass. “You know he’ll just take Tonny from me later.”

“Not if you learn to hide it.”

“He can see _everything_ I do.” He looked down at the little tonberry, contemplating before looking up at Vincent. “So… I want you to take him! Hide him ‘til bedtime then you can bring him back to me.”

Vincent eyed the boy for a moment and reached out his hand for the toy. “Sure?”

“If Slimy Hojo and Lulu take him, I’ll never see him again. At least this way I can see him at night. You’re always here!”

Vincent smiled grimly. “Sure thing, Sephiroth.”

Sephiroth’s smile brightened, but then faded almost as quickly. His eyes were transfixed on Vincent’s hair and it almost made the man self-conscious. “Say, Uncle Vince?”

“Mm?”

“Why do you keep your hair so short?”

Vincent blinked and ran a hand through his shortly cropped mane. “Ah, my, um, my old man never liked my hair to be too long and just became habit.”

“Hojo liked my hair short too. Let’s make a deal!”

Vincent tilted his head, already use to these compromises Sephiroth loved to make. “Alright, make your case.”

“I think we should both stop doin’ what our old mans say. I’ll grow my hair out and you have to grow yours too. Then when it grows we’ll think of somethin’ else our daddies don’t like and piss ‘em off.”

“Watch your mouth, kid.”

“Make ‘em mad!” he corrected.

Vincent rolled his eyes and touched Sephiroth’s bangs in consideration, the quicksilver strands slipping between his fingers like silk. “Deal. On one condition?”

“What now?”

He whipped the blood from Sephiroth’s lip. “Stop biting the damn staff. You might catch something.”

|

|

**Year Five Project Jenova: Corel Mountain Experiment**

 

It took everything inside Vincent not to move.

His nails dug into the fabric of his Turk uniform and he sneered as Lucrecia shouted words of encouragement while Hojo barked orders. He flinched when Sephiroth barely missed the explosion of a Bomb monster. A Bagnadrana hiding on the overhead rocks poisoned the boy when he dodged the bomb and he stumbled. He hunched over and Vincent took a step to go and aid him. Hojo raised his hand to him where Lucrecia couldn’t see – too busy recording data. The Wutain doctor glanced at him secretly while his wife worked, his eyes clearly stating stay put. Vincent was in o mood to follow orders but according to the commands of President ShinRa, this experiment would be a so-called breaking point. Watching the boy vomit green liquid on the ground was disturbing, but Sephiroth rose to his feet. His jade eyes were crazed with a need to survive because in his young mind all he could think of was how much he wanted to go home. In order to go home, he had to kill these things. He took the small sword that had been given to him by his “parents” – a weighty thing that was just short of too heavy for him – and without a thought the Bagnadrana’s head flew from its shoulder. The body fell over, putrid order making Sephiroth choke. Vincent parted his lips to warn him, but there was no way the boy would hear him, not from this far.

The Bombs chose that to be their moment to attack. One caught Sephiroth in the back and exploded, burning through his skin and meat to expose bone and blood bloomed from his shoulder. His face was one of shock and he didn’t get a chance to feel the pain before another hit him in the side and the other in the side of his face. He didn’t scream or cry, his eyes simply went dull and he fell to his knees. His eyes locked with Vincent’s red ones and seemed to flash a cry of help before they rolled and his tiny body fell forward on the ground.

Lucrecia clapped her hands. “Success. He was able to kill all targets without any prior training. Imagine when he actually begins curriculum.”

Hojo hummed in agreement, though he was more intrigued by Vincent brushing past him and pulled Sephiroth out of the dust and dirt. The Turk pulled a tiny mastered Cure from his pocket and placed the healing gem against the boy’s blooded chest, waiting for the major wounds to be healed. The soft green glow of the magic enveloped Sephiroth and the major wounds from the bombs were healed, but the poison was still eating away at his insides. Vincent didn’t have his full gambit of mastered Materia with him and usually only took the cure Materia on escorts with him.

Vincent nearly drew his gun when Hojo knelt next to the boy with a blank expression. He pulled a remedy from his lab coat pocket. He pressed it to Sephiroth’s lip while Vincent held him up and massaged his throat so that he could swallow. The two men locked eyes for a moment. Hojo’s narrow gaze almost seemed to be laughing at him behind rimless glasses as he got up.

“Carry our specimen back to the transport, Turk. Lu and I will back up here.”

Lu? Vincent grit his teeth hard. How much had Lucrecia told him of their affair? How much of the whispers they shared were now things she shared in laughter with _him_? Had she even kept it a secret to begin with? All thought so of jealous and hatred that had bubbled up in that train of thought were brushed away quickly when he herd Sephiroth moan in suffering. He lifted the unconscious child into his arms and held him close to him. The only thing on his mind was making sure the silver haired boy would live. Something inside him felt just as wounded as Sephiroth as he watched those eyes flick behind bruised lids.

“I have to protect you,” Vincent whispered gently. “I have to… or no one will.”

|

|

**Year Ten of Jenova Project: ShinRa Live Experimentation Ward – Midgar**

Veld burst into the office of his Commander causing Vincent’s red eyes to snap open. His obsidian hair was to his shoulders now and layered thickly around his face. The crimson eyed Turk gave his second-in-command and friend a questioning gaze as Veld caught his breath. He’d been having a nap after the latest tour of the Turk training facilities.

“This is why you need to answer your damn phone! I came up as soon as I’d heard from Nobel! You need to get to the Turk Lab.”

Vincent felt his gut sink. “What is it?”

“That kid. Nobel said they got him testing against some kinda monster and he’s hurt really bad but your batshit ex won’t stop the testing.”

Vince was on his feet the moment Veld mentioned Sephiroth being hurt. “Hojo hasn’t stop this.”

“He ain’t here. He’s on lecture! Lucrecia’s using the time to be stupid! She’s gonna kill that kid.”

Vincent’s saw red and he bit his tongue to control his anger as he marched coolly from the Turk Floor to the labs below. His newly given authorization allowed him to go into the classified areas without anyone raising their eyes to him and spoke not a word as drew his Peacemaker. An intern tried to question him, but the gun to her face made her shriek and back off. He went to the large dome where a creature damn near filled up the room with its girth. Vincent didn’t recognize it from any bestiary he’d ever studied, so it had to be lab grown. Its mouth dripped with some form of acid and arcs of electricity bounced from its spiked hide along the walls. On the opposing side, a far too small, bloodied, and partially burned Sephiroth crouched terrified in his white scrubs. His now shoulder-length hair was matted with blood. He looked weak and tired; his body two steps away from giving out.

Vincent rage boiled over and a sense of protectiveness invaded his sense. He ran forward where a group of white coats were observing the action and he grabbed Lucrecia’s arm, twisting her to look at him.

“End it!”

She blinked as if Vincent had grown another head. “Vincent what are you doing here?”

“I said _stop_! He is going to die in there. That creature is too strong for him!”

“If he at some point ceases to function then we have a team ready to give him medical attention and if he doesn’t survive this, then we’ll take samples and use a spare. You’re in a huff for nothing,” she said coldly, jerking her arm from him. “This was my choice, you’re not going to interfere with that.”

Vincent growled and shoved her away from the controls. He pressed the locking mechanism but found it wouldn’t go without Lucrecia’s authorization. So, he shot the damn thing. When it malfunctioned, the personnel door became ajar and he went inside chambering another round. Sephiroth collapsed, unable to stand anymore and was scooting back from the monster like a wounded animal, his eyes showing teary horror and fatigue. Vincent shot the creature to bring its attention from Sephiroth. While that was successful the rounds did nothing to the creature. He twirled the gun, another round chambering and a blue jewel at the end of its chain glowed with pale light. He fired a Materia shot into the monster’s acid spewing face and watched it ice over, its limbs stiffening up as frost grew over it like fungus. Vincent unloaded sever more shots following until the creature shattered to irrecoverable pieces. Sighing, he went to Sephiroth who pushed himself up with stumble and opened his arms for the man to pick him up. He caught the boy as his legs gave out once again and lifted him bloody and frightened from the floor. Sephiroth immediately begin to sob. He’d never seen the boy cry that way before and was certain he’d seen his own death in that creature. No one that young should recognize the end of their life.

As Vincent carried him out of the dome and headed towards the exit, Lucrecia blocked the way.

“What was that! What do you think you’re doing! You completely ruined our testing and now you think you’re going to walk out of here?!” she snapped, her honey sweet voice sounding authoritative for once. “You can’t just take Sephiroth and walk out of here without authorization! You can’t just remove a valued specimen from the labs!”

Vincent lifted his gun to her, finger itchy, but tiny hands clenched the fabric of his uniform, reminding him that he could only put Sephiroth through so much today. “Dr. Crescent, if you do not remove yourself from my sight I _will_ be forced to shoot you and there are no consequences high enough that will make me give a damn about it. _Move_.”

For split second, Lucrecia gave him the same look at most gave him when he was pulling the trigger. He was certain he’d never looked at her that way and honestly, he most likely never would again unless Sephiroth was involved. He couldn’t hate her, never could. But with the small boy in his arm… nothing else mattered, not even his residual affections for her. When she finally stepped aside, her team did as well and he left with Sephiroth cling to him as if he were the last bastion of safety. And he was.

“You will be demoted for this Commander Valentine. You are interfering with a very delicate project and the president will not stand for this! You _will_ return my son!”

Vincent said nothing as he stepped onto the elevator and closed the doors on that floor of horror.

“Vince?”

Vincent tilted his head closer to Sephiroth, indicating he’d heard his strained whisper.

“I’m… I’m glad it was you. I’m so glad it was you. Cuz if it wasn’t I don’t think… I wouldn’t have been okay, this time.”

Vincent closed his eyes and much to the detriment of his Turk training, he pressed his face into Sephiroth’s small shoulder. He smelled of blood, sickness and weakness and it made Vincent hug him just a bit tighter.

“I’ve got you now. No matter what happens, I _will_ be there. I’m your family now…”

Sephiroth shifted just so in his arms, and hugged him just a bit tighter. “I love you, Uncle Vincent.”

Vincent flinched at the broken voice, could hear the small sob on the tail end of his name. He pressed a kiss to Sephiroth’s matted hair.

|

|

**Year Ten of the Jenova Project: President and Vince President Office. ShinRa Tower**

“AN ABUSE OF POWER! Do you know what this could do to your standing?! What would your father would think of you if he knew you were interfering with ground breaking research?!”

Vincent stood silently as President ShinRa ranted and raved until he was practically a tomato. Every now and then he cut his eyes toward the woman in white sitting casually in the president’s chair. Her heterochromatic bore into Vincent’s incarnadine orbs. Vincent averted his gaze from her while she rolled her eyes when President ShinRa made another round and bellowed. Her blond hair fell over much of her face though it didn’t quite hide the one Mako infused eye that glowed inhumanely beneath strawberry blond hair. She stood up in her white heels and walked around the desk, her posture of a soldier with the grace of classic lady. Her business suit was pure white with a pink chemise covering her breasts where a silvery pendant hung in the shape of the ShinRa trademark. She touched the president’s shoulder and he turned don her but stopped short, fuming because he had to look _up_ to her. She stood a good five foot ten with an extra four inches of her heels making her an impressive titan of a woman. Towering over the president’s five-eight only caused the president more ire, though he said nothing. This woman, in her calm collected glory, was the “Lady ShinRa” the founder of the Turks.

“I think you’ve gotten your point across, darling. Now let me deal with him so you won’t end up with another headache?” No matter how she sweetened her altoist tone, the commanding air was still there letting her husband know that there was no room for discussion.

“Your pet Turks are becoming more trouble than they’re worth!” he spat. “They’re going to be disbanded once the SOLDIER project is perfected and he’s purposely hindering that!”

“Enough, Reginald. Let a lady clean up her mess.”

At the use of his first name, President ShinRa growled and walked out on the conversation. Once he closed the door, it automatically locked and the room was instantly sound proofed thanks to some masterful technology. Vincent went to her and took a knee.

“You _are_ more trouble than you’re worth, my hellhound,” she said gently, her cold expression contradicted by the slightly added warmth in her voice. “You’ve laid everything out in your report, but, I’d like to know from your mouth that you are sure about this decision.”

“I am, Lady,” he said quietly.

“Giving your command to Veld is a horrible bargain you’ve presented me. Wishing to de demoted to a third-ranked commander is even worse. You can’t expect me to allow that. You’re an Elite and one of my first and best. Why would you ask this of me?”

Vincent lifted his head to look up at her. “I’ve found something more important to protect.”

She stood before him, leaning down to lift his chin so that their eyes met. “More important than me, Vincent Valentine?”

“… yes. Do this for me Elloria? Give him to me as a child and give me authority over him as a specimen.”

“Willing to give up your command for a test tube baby from a woman who didn’t want you, just so you can’t be accused of nepotism.” Elloria sighed. “Where has the time gone that you have found someone you care about more than me?”

“I wonder.” Vincent’s smile was a soft one.

“I don’t like this. Hell, I didn’t even want to send you to backwoods Nibelheim, but I did! Now I can’t take it back. Heh, I suppose this is adequate pay back. I have a condition, however.”

“Anything, Lady ShinRa.”

“You remain my second in command until you have chosen a suitable replacement and you continue to work under me. Once I’m gone, you and the original Six are free to choose if you wish to remain under ShinRa.”

“Mm… understood.”

“Then you are free to go. I’ll push it through.”

Vincent nodded and stood up. With a final bow he left the office with a light smile on her face. Lady ShinRa watched him go and touched her chest.

“My Dear Vincent, I fear I’m going to make this a bit more complicated for you. I hope you enjoy it while it lasts though; anything for my Turks.”

|

|

**Year Eleven of Jenova Project: Midgar**

It had taken time and much resistance by both Lucrecia and Dr. Gast. Hojo strangely offered very little complaint. His focus was more so logistic issues. As long as Vincent agreed to have him brought in for his Mako treatments and experiments, kept strict track of his diet, and filled out reports weekly, Hojo seemed… passive. Vincent didn’t quite trust it but didn’t question it either. Vincent won the argument with Lady ShinRa whispering into her husband’s ear. Lucrecia of course cried and fussed about not being able to see her son, but Vincent was assured by the President that she would not have unsupervised visits with the child and would be barred from seeing him once he entered the SOLDIER program.

It was all finally done and Vincent opened the door to his home in Sector 3, graciously designed by the young and newly minted Executive of Urban Development. Sephiroth wondered in, holding Tonny the Tonberry like a lifeline. This was the furthest he’d been from the labs. It was a spacious one-story house with lavish décor that smelled of Wutai flowers. Souvenirs from his father’s travels as well as his own adorned the walls giving it a cultured feel. The couch was a plush soft binding that Sephiroth sunk into when he curiously sat on it. Vincent placed his brief case on the floor by the door and made sure all the lights were one before leading a curious Sephiroth around. He showed him the large bathroom which was across the hall from the master bedroom that Vincent slept in. Sephiroth managed to peak at the monster-sized bed in that room before he was led to a large bedroom that was meant to be his. It was originally a guest room so all that was there was a bed, dresser, table, and a desk. Vincent showed him the attached bathroom.

“I get my _own_ bathroom!” Sephiroth spouted, immediately breaking his shy silence. “YES!”

Vincent chuckled, happy to him acting like a normal child. “This room is yours from now one. Do whatever you want with it but keep it _clean_. In a few years you start SOLDIER training, but you won’t have to live in the barracks if you don’t want to.”

“But I want to! I want to be just like all the other cadets. I wanna go to school! I wanna make friends! I wanna get my butt kicked by bullies, and—”

“Slow down kid. First of all, you get your ass kicked by _any_ bullies and I’ll kick it again when I get home.”

Sephiroth grinned and Vincent winced at the missing tooth from the last experiment he went through. Hojo assured him he’d regenerate it, but seeing the gap still made him feel guilty he hadn’t gotten him sooner.

“Either way, its whatever you want kid.”

“Thank you, Vincent. Thank you so much!”

|

|

**Year Fourteen of the Jenova Project: Vincent’s House in Sector 3, 0600hrs**

Vincent lay sleeping peacefully on his orgy sized bed (as Veld called it) having gotten in around three in the morning. His smooth pale back was bare as he lay beneath the covers nude, having grown accustom to sleeping as such in his own home and Sephiroth’s presence hadn’t changed that. His hair had grown well past his shoulders and lay like threads of black silk near the center of his back, nearly concealing the Turk initiation tattoo when the Turks officially became a ShinRa Organization. He was barely fifteen and oh so very wasted. There were a few scars and cuts from close calls including one on his lower back where a spy stabbed him back when Mako research was still in its infancy. There was a light discoloration on his nose where a drunken Veld had burned him with a cigarette when he almost fell off a balcony. One would never notice this scar unless they spent an extended amount of time in the gunman’s presence. It they knew him like Sephiroth knew him, they would know about the light scorch marks in the meat of Vincent’s hand where his thumb and index finger met. And after being in Vincent’s care for almost five years, Sephiroth knew that the man hated to be watched while he was most vulnerable.

Sephiroth smirked from the doorway as he stealthily slipped into the bedroom, his bare feet padding silently across lush black carpet. This was the perfect opportunity to do this now. Vincent was tired and not in a good state of mind to defend himself if he did manage to somehow wake. The cherry on top was that Vincent could sleep through a fucking earthquake. Perfect. Sephiroth’s scrawny limbs crawled carefully across the memory foam mattress to hover over Vincent as he lay like a dark angel on his stomach. Sephiroth slipped his hand under one of the pillows to remove the 9mm that Vincent kept handy. He slipped his other hand near Vincent’s limp hand and found the knife he kept nearby as well. Placing both weapons well out of reach. He straddled his guardian’s pale body like he was ten years old still and was satisfied when the man didn’t move. He even blew on his ear to make sure. He pulled an object from his hip and held it close to Vincent’s ear and…

The birds outside flew away in a panic at the sound of the air horn going off and a few passersby paused. Of course, they immediately moved along at the following thud and light Wutain/Midgardian cursing. Sephiroth stumbled over his hands and feet to get the hell out of the room before Vincent figured out where his gun was. A shot rang out past his ear and hit the bathroom tile. Sephiroth laughed shouting at the gunman that he’d missed as he ran from his life. Wutain equivalents of “Bastard”, “Son of Bitch” and “Motherfucker!”  and “Shoot you a new asshole!” followed him as he made into his room and snatched up his bag. He jumped out of the window with his tennis shoes in hand and dodged rolled into the yard. Without a pause, he took off as a bullet hit the ground where he landed. He didn’t bother to put on his shoes on his feet until he was out of firing range. His ass was grass when he got home, but it was _worth it_.

 

**Walking Out on Destiny**


	2. Episode 1: Genesis, Pun Intended

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Genesis is your lord and savior.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Harli – Thank you guys for transferring over. I love this site so much more! I was not expecting such a great response from everyone! This is fucking incredible and I’m so very humbled! So, a quick explanation of characterization. This is going to be entertainingly OOC at a lot of points since we’re following a separate path. Genesis is at a point of trying to figure out his own identity through his sense of fashion and attitude. Sephiroth is struggling to find acceptance. And then there’s Vincent. Vincent was only 19 in this divergence when he came to Nibelheim. He fell in love real hard for an older woman… sometimes that changes people. So, hope you enjoy!

 

Mechanical pencil made a hard, cold click as Sephiroth tapped it in boredom. Being forced to wait for the others in his class to finish the SOLDIER entrance exam was not something he anticipated. He honestly hadn’t expected to make it through it since anything to do with tests gave him hives. Professor Hojo argued to the moon in back with Vincent that he didn’t need to take something as “frivolous” as an exam when he was designed for the damn SOLDIER program. Sephiroth begged to differ. It was a disadvantage to get in like that and know nothing about the practical knowledge and damn there was a _lot_ of it. He implored Vincent to speak his case and allow him to take the test like everyone else just so he could study it properly. Not to mention, he was trying his hardest to be as human as the world would allow him to be and that included not being so obviously privileged. It comforted him to know that he finished the test with his own hard work and actual studying and that all around the world there were people taking the exam as well. The only thing that gave Sephiroth an edge was that he absorbed information and the like much quicker than an average fifteen-year-old.

Not to mention it was blatantly obvious he was hyped on Mako like _all_ the time.

No one’s eyes glowed like his, not even real SOLDIERs. Still, being normal was what he wanted and being normal was what Vincent ensured for him. Vincent had even paid for him to go to ShinRa’s military academy in order to become better qualified for the test. Though honestly, ShinRa’s nepotism heavy military academy could go fuck itself.

Now here he was with his hair annoyingly tickling the nape of his neck in its ponytail and earbuds in his ears so that he wouldn’t distract the other testers. His torn jeans were hardly what Vincent would’ve recommended for trying to get into SOLDIER, but Sephiroth made the point that if he would get in, it wouldn’t be by playing dress up like his dear uncle. Not that Vincent’s style wasn’t elegant anyway. Sephiroth wasn’t the least bit ashamed to say his guardian was a beast off the clock. He was, however, ashamed to admit that he’d _heard_ how much of a beast his guardian was off the clock on more than one occasion from his classmates… and his teacher… and Mrs. Burbage who lived next door. Sephiroth shuddered at the old woman’s appraising eyes every time he and Vincent went out. Something about seeing a father being good to his son gave her the vapors.

Either way, it wasn’t like he kept company with those type of people. Throughout schooling, it’d been difficult to make friends due to his appearance and what he seemed to come from. His guardian was a Turk, his eyes put 1st Class SOLDIERs to shame, and he had this weird white, silver… whatever colored hair. Honestly, it just all made him unapproachable to others so he decided not to bother to make himself otherwise. Of course, he never ran out of swooning fangirls even though they mostly just hid around corners chittered like birds. Then there were the boys. That was a lot of charges dropped thanks to their parents being too afraid to sue ShinRa. After all, technically his lab-grown ass belonged to ShinRa Inc. No one fucked with ShinRa. Well, Hojo did.

Ah well, at least he got to be in a public school like all the other ShinRa employees.

“And pens downs!” the instructor practically shouted. “Alright everyone, if you want to know your results as soon as possible stick around for about two hours. Otherwise enjoy your summer and your scores will be in the mail.”

A few groans sounded as everyone moved about to turn in their tests. Sephiroth lingered in the line, his earbuds still in so he didn’t have to hear the moaning and groaning. He gave the woman his test and she smiled way too cheerfully at him.

“Good Luck, Sephiroth. Tell your father I said hello!”

Sephiroth offered a strained smile and continue don out the door. A couple hours to kill before he could see if all that ShinRa technology they put into him was wasted or if he truly was worth the fuss made over him. A drink would be nice. He went to the cafeteria and bought a juice before finding a nice spot outside to be alone. He enjoyed being in solitude on most days making the lack of friends not as uncomfortable as it seemed. Solitude meant no bullying and no getting mock charges filed against him for what others started. Solitude meant he could think about the future and just what type of SOLDIER he wanted to be. He closed his eyes and let a few WPop songs permeate his ears, blocking out the living world. He didn’t even see it coming until he was face first on the table from the brute force of it.

Cringing at the pain in the back of his head and he narrowed his eyes at the offending object which was… an apple… a very _purple_ apple. He picked it up and turned it over in his hand, trying to understand just why it was purple and more importantly why it nearly cracked the back of his skull. The answer came in the form of something scrawny and red sliding underneath the bench, crouching between his legs under the table. A hand with a set of costume rings and plastic bracelets looped around it snatched the apple from Sephiroth’s hand. He leaned back a little and peeked under the table to see a pair of big crystalline eyes that weren’t quite blue… weren’t quite gray… and… weren’t quite lavender? What the hell color were they?! A mop of pretty, gingery auburn hair fell into those multicolored eyes and freckles lined lightly flushed cheeks. The kid was skinny and looked like the skinny jeans she wore were painted on. Her black sleeveless turtleneck had the words “Bad Luck” in rainbow letters on the chest and the arm warmer on her left arm came all the way to just below her shoulder. When Sephiroth heard shouting behind them, the eyes that peered at her turned to deep purple and she glared at Sephiroth. She put her finger to her lips and shushed him as she continued to crouch.

“Where are ya, ya little Banora Fag!”

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes and shoved the girl further under the table, scooting up until her head rested awkwardly against Sephiroth’s inner thigh. Sephiroth couldn’t see the large blush that spread across her speckled cheeks. The group of offenders paused when they came upon the bench, the ringleader huffing.

“You seen a kid come this way, freak?”

Sephiroth only stared at them. He felt his stowaway shift uncomfortably and he tightened his grip on her head to cease her movement. His expression never shifted.

“Go away.”

“M-man screw him. He don’t know nothin’!” the leader spouted nervously, not liking the look in Sephiroth’s eyes.

“Yeah, he probably ain’t seen that faggot anyway! Come on, we probably lost his scrawny ass!” the other agreed with equal fear.

Thankfully they made a hasty retreat.  Once they were out of sight, Sephiroth scooted the bench back and looked down at the girl between his legs. She blinked and got up, perching herself on the bench. She bit into the oddly colored apple, avoiding the bruised part that had conked Sephiroth in the head.

“Thank you!” she spouted her voice a soft alto.

“Why were those guys chasing you and calling you that word?” he asked curiously.

“Isn’t it obvious?” she gestured to herself.

Sephiroth eyed her from the top of her messy mop to the toes of her white high-tops. “You look like a normal girl to me.”

She rolled her eyes and took another bite of her apple. “Yeah, that’d be dandy if I was actually a girl!”

Sephiroth paused, not registering what she had just said. “Huh?”

“How about I give you a hint, darling.”

She hopped off the table and got close to Sephiroth’s face. Sephiroth found himself inhaling a very foreign scent, one of open air and fresh groves that he only got when Vincent took him shopping for food or brought him back fig. The redhead took his hand and brought it up to her flat chest which was mildly hardened for a teenaged girl. From there she slid his fingers up to her throat and stopped at a strange lump that moved up and down when she swal – _oooh_.

“You’re a boy,” Sephiroth said, calmly.

“Don’t sound so shocked,” she, or rather he said sitting back down on the tabletop.

“I’m not.”

The redhead rolled his eyes and bit another piece of the apple. “Sarcasm, darling. A vital gift from the Goddess to get through the day.”

Sephiroth stared at the weird apple as the boy’s plump lips pulled away from it. “What… the hell is that?”

The boy waved the apple and Sephiroth nodded. The redhead shrugged.

“Dumb Apple.”

“Excuse me?”

“Dumb. Apple. It’s a type of apple from Banora that ripens out of season for apples. They’re “dumb” cause they can’t tell their seasons.”

“Well, that’s a dumb reason to call them dumb. It just means the climate of your temporal area has forced them to shift their ripening in order to keep up with nature.”

The boy stared at him, his eyes shifting back to their pale blue. A smile came to his lips. “Okay, I’ll bite, darling. What’s your name, o-wordy-one?”

“Sephiroth.”

The boy mouthed the name as if tasting it on his tongue. “Sephiroth. Seph...i…roth. A bit lengthy and presumptuous don’t you think? Foreboding even. Kinda sends the wrong message, doesn’t it? You certainly don’t appear to be godly.”

He arched his brow. “Well, what’s your name?”

“Genesis Rhapsodus.”

“Hello, pot.”

“You’re just mad my name’s prettier.”

“If that helps you sleep at night.”

 

That’s how it began: a pointless banter back and forth over their names. Well… Genesis bantered, Sephiroth simply just retorted. At some point, Sephiroth learned Genesis hailed form Banora and came to Midgar to stay with his childhood friend, some boy two years their senior going through SOLDIER training. Genesis called him “Angie” and never elaborated. Sephiroth didn’t ask. Like Sephiroth, they both entertained the thoughts of passing the exam and training on their own merit rather than on affluence. Genesis wanted to be a legend. Sephiroth didn’t understand why, but even so, he could relate to that feeling.

The hour flew by without him and soon they were off to check their scores. Genesis stood on his tip toes to look at the board and murmured the names as he searched for his last name. It was easier for Sephiroth considering he adopted Vincent’s for school and financial purposes. Genesis gasp broke his concentration as he studied the scores.

“I did it! YES, I DID IT!” Genesis shouted in disbelief. He snatched his phone from its holder on his rainbow-colored belt and speed dialed what Sephiroth could only assume was the mysterious “Angie.” “I made it! I’m going to start training! This is going to be so awesome!”

Sephiroth watched the ecstatic gestures quietly, unsure of how one could be that energetic all the time. He could only do it in bursts. He found his name and smirked as took a picture of the results on his own flip phone… as well as a picture of the boy he’d met with the caption “I don’t know what it is, but it keeps following me.”

 

 

“Vincent!” Veld called for the third time, trying to be patient with the fact that his partner still suffered from his “son’s” latest prank. “Guess its still hard to hear?”

“No shit,” Vincent muttered blandly, rubbing his temple. “Mako is healing my busted eardrum pretty quickly but it’ll still be a few more hours before it’s not muffled.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t shoot him?”

“I missed.”

Veld chuckled. “We have some things to take care of in Costa De Sol. It was gonna send Melitta but she’s handling a disturbance at Junon with Tsuki. Dante’s following up on a tip over at Corel about Mako resources with Scarlet so that leaves you and Nobel.”

“And you want _me_ to go to Costa del Sol?”

“Mm, there’s been word down there that a Don is trying to get too strong of a foothold. He’s taken up residence in a summer home and I’d appreciate it if you went out. The Lady doesn’t like him sniffing around the contracts we’ve already made so she asked for you personally.”

“It’s too hot there.”

Veld rolled his eyes. “Think of it as a minivacation. He’s free for the summer now, isn’t he?”

“Not taking him anywhere until I get his results. He’ll literally fight me.” He rubbed his temples. “I’ll go.”

“Good. Sephiroth could use some sun anyway. You _both_ could. You’re haunting my office.” He flinched as a paper clip hit him dead center of his forehead. “Very funny.”

Vincent’s expression didn’t change. The phone vibrated on his desk and he flipped it open to a new text and picture. The grainy image of Sephiroth’s scores made him hum in approval.

“Uh-oh, you seem excited,” Veld commented.

“Sephiroth made perfect scores,” he replied evenly. Though Veld knew him long enough to know that was pride in his voice.

“Heh! He’d better with all the studying you both did together! That’s great though, congratulate him for me.”

Vincent was about to reply when another text followed directly afterward, his brows raising to his hairline. “Well, that’s interesting.”

“Oh? Did he finally meet a girl?” Veld teased.

“…I actually don’t know for sure. Pretty certain it’s a boy, though. He wants to know if they can have dinner with us.”

Veld came over to peek over Vincent’s shoulder at the picture. “T-that thing’s a boy?!”

“You asked that same thing when we first met even _after_ hearing my voice,” Vincent replied texting Sephiroth back that it was fine.

“We were teenagers and you were much more feminine back that!”

“In either regard, I doubt you want, Genesis, is it to do what I did to you in response.”

Veld touched his nose, wincing at the memory. “I have a permanent crook thanks to you.”

“Brass knuckles will do that.”

“Ah well, Sephiroth needs friends. This’ll be good for him”

“Does this mean I am to expect you tonight?”

Veld gave a smirk of his own and rested his head on Vincent’s shoulder as he sent the text. “Have I told you that I love how long your hair has gotten?”

Veld didn’t even see the fist coming. It simply materialized to collide with his face.

“Not on the job, you idiot.”

 

 

Genesis was a freakin’ weirdo.

At least that was Sephiroth’s conclusion after this extended interaction. This boy walked around in girl’s skinny jeans – well fitted to oddly feminine curves mind you – and extra-small tank tops that shouldn’t have even been able to fit on his body. The Materia earring he wore glinted and jingled every time he stepped and he made a habit of whipping his hair in over exaggerated motions. He was supposedly from a small farming community, but the way he strutted around the city, you’d swear he’d grown up right here in Midgar with all that confidence. He was bold, obscenely so. When men whistled at him on the street he’d bat his eyelashes not thinking twice about them believing he was a girl. Genesis was… what did magazines call it? Ah yes, Genesis was a queen.

Unfortunately… he never shut up.

I’ve always wanted to come here and watch the stage production of Loveless. You know Midgar is the _only_ place that performs it! Oh!” he shivered excitedly. “Watching one of my favorite stories being performed by live people and to see the Goddess on stage herself just gives me chills. It would be so awe—oh! Sale!”

Sephiroth blinked slowly, his narrowed eyes denoting his confusion as the redhead’s bubbling filled in the silence so much that he didn’t even think of joining the conversation. Instead, he just followed the random segue into a clothing store where Genesis began flipping through racks.

“Say, oh-godly-one? You ever thought about changing your look? The grungy teenager look is like from a thousand years ago. I think either leather or slacks would do you some good. Definitely nothing but black should touch that terrific ass of yours. Maybe some boots too? Would look mighty fine in some clean combat boots. Oh my god, we should go to a salon. You get a shampoo and press; your hair’ll look gorgeous.” Genesis narrowed his eyes at Sephiroth’s listless expression. “Or we could go have a threesome with the clerk.”

“Sure. Don’t think I’m a bottom guy though,” Sephiroth replied smoothly.

“Ah, you were listening.”

“Nope, that was just the most interesting thing you've said so far.”

“Dick!” he went back to perusing the racks. “So, I’ve been living with Angeal for about a month now, though he’s hardly at home.”

Oh. That’s how he got Angie.

“He’s always off on training missions and bullshit like that. He’s big though. Big and strong, and fuckin’ hit puberty before I did so he’s got this peach fuzz of a beard coming in that makes him look sexy as fuck.”

“Mm. Never had hair anywhere but on my head so I can’t relate.”

“Y-you’re joking?”

“What’s the big deal?”

Genesis scoffed. “Pubic and facial hair means you aren’t trapped in puberty for the rest of your life. I mean come on, I’ve grown like the bare minimum, but you sound like you’ve never even had a hair bump.”

Sephiroth shrugged, silently hoping his confusion about the subject wasn’t too blatant. Genesis watched him for a moment before letting the subject drop.

“You’re a curious person, Seph. Think I may grow to like you yet.”

Sephiroth ignored the odd flutter in his chest at the shortening of his name. “You mean you don’t already? And here I thought you only torture-talked people you liked.”

“Did you just make a joke, you albino bastard,” Genesis spat indignantly. “I’m not going to be baited by someone who has everything free in their life. Oh my, this shirt if thirty Gil. Score!”

Sephiroth arched his brow, not quite liking the idea that Genesis thought he was privileged. He said nothing on it and moved on. “So, Angeal’s your childhood friend… is he related to you in some way? You come from a small place after all.”

“Angie? I think that would be incest if we were,” he replied thoughtfully. “No, we’re not related. We just grew up as next-door neighbors in Banora. He often protected me from boys like the ones you scared off. Though to be fair, I never did anything to deter them from attacking me.”

“Why wouldn’t you? Wouldn’t it be easier for you?”

Genesis glared at Sephiroth. “Why shouldn’t I be who I am when they’re allowed to be who they are?!”

“…because its safer that way,” Sephiroth replied softly, his eyes averting. “No one gets hurt that way.”

Genesis grew quiet, his expression morphing into something Sephiroth couldn’t read… couldn’t understand. The redhead breathed in a deep breath and released it. “Everyone gets hurt. Everyone eventually dies. But for some reason, not everyone lives. Why should I not live… just because I’m afraid of getting hurt?”

Sephiroth’s eyes shifted to Genesis’s paled eyes. He bit his lip and averted his eyes once again. Genesis continued talking, moving the subject along.

“Besides, Angie is the only thing that matters to me. He’s all I have in the world and he keeps me from overflowing.”

“Overflowing?” Sephiroth asked curiously.

“With darkness. A lot of people have so much to be sad and in pain over, that sometimes you need someone to be your lifeline. Someone who exists to ensure that we exist and vice versa. Don’t you have someone like that?”

“Vincent,” Sephiroth muttered without hesitation. “Someone who keeps the darkness away. It’s him.”

Genesis watched the careful smile on Sephiroth’s face as he thought about his guardian.

“Well, judging by your expression, I’m sure he’s marvelous. I can’t wait to meet him though I hope I’m not intruding by invading your home on the first date.”

“Date?” Sephiroth looked alarmed for a moment.

Genesis laughed. “Take a joke, Seph. Either way, I was wondering since Angeal won’t be home tonight, could I maybe… you know. Spend the night at your place so we can keep the conversation going.”

“You’ve honestly kept this conversation going longer than anyone else has in my life,” Sephiroth said flatly.

“So cruel.”

“Vincent doesn’t really care what I do as long as I don’t burn the house down. I think he’s surprised I haven’t brought anyone home with me since I started school honestly.”

“Seph, don’t you have friends?”

“No. They’re either in love with me or hate. People tend to be afraid of me, scared of me because of what I am?”

Genesis was slightly uncomfortable with how unbothered Sephiroth seemed by this. “And that is?”

“I was engineered in a lab. I was born in a lab and am being experimented on and treated three times a month.”

Genesis's eyes dulled to a heavy slate. “Sephiroth… that doesn’t make you feel, I dunno, lonely?”

“Sometimes. More often than I choose to think about,” he admitted.

“Vincent saved you from the darkness of a loveless existence,” Genesis said softly, his eyes brightening to a soft and welcoming blue. “Then I’ll save you from the darkness of a lonely one. Okay?”

Sephiroth tilted his head, unsure of how to respond.

“I’m going to be your friend, Seph. You can call me G.”

“Uh?”

“G to my friends only.”

“Then… I guess I won’t kill you for calling me Seph?”

“Seph to your friends only.”

“To my friends only.”

Genesis gave a foxy smirk. “That’s the way. Come on, we have to commemorate this moment with um… something!”

Genesis dragged him to the jewel cases and peered in. His eyes roved over the different earring sets until he found one to his liking. He asked the attendant to show it to them. “Look, its perfect for us.”

Sephiroth scrutinized the set unsure of how to take it. It was a set of Valkyrie wings carved out of heavy pewter and shined with gloss. The metallic wings struck a cord of fondness however and it garnered his approval. “One for each of us?”

“Right,” Genesis handed them back to the clerk. “We’re taking this. Thank you!”

Once purchased, Genesis walked with Sephiroth and put his new earring in. He handed its mate to Sephiroth who only stared at it and touched his ear self-consciously. Genesis puffed his cheeks.

“What?”

“It’s not… I don’t know where to put it.”

“D-don’t know where to put it?! It goes in your ear. For Goddess sake where the hell were you planning to put it.”

“I... what?”

Genesis gave an exasperated sigh and pushed Sephiroth’s bangs back fully, revealing his face and ears. It forced the redhead into a prolonged pause as he found he was… very wrong. Sephiroth lived up to his celestial name beneath all that hair. His face was perfectly angled and gave a preview of future chiseled featured beneath soft cherubim visage. His eyes – goddess, his eyes – were catlike and narrowly slant like the elegant hostesses of Wutai Angeal told him about. His skin held no blemishes or freckles like Genesis’s. No moles, no scars, just pure unscathed skin. Genesis didn’t have words for the flawlessness he found beneath those messy bangs.

“Seph… you’re so…” His eyes were suddenly drawn to cute unmarred ears. “Virgin?”

“What?”

“I mean, your ears. They aren’t pierced. You have virgin ears.”

“Yeah, what did you think I was talking about?”

“Um… doesn’t matter!” Genesis pulled himself away from the beauty of the boy’s face. “How old are you, Seph?”

“I’m about to be fifteen.”

“Ah, too young for a parlor here. Um, Angie’s got a piercing gun at home. It’s clean and accurate. What say you we go get it?”

“I don’t think I can come home with my ears pierced.” Vincent would probably kill him as soon as he stepped in the door.

“Then we’ll do it tonight at your place. He’ll be asleep and if you hide it right, he won’t notice for a while. You’ll get away clean.”

Sephiroth arched his brow as he contemplated the small bit of delinquency. Vincent himself had pierced ear and he never really said anything. However, after what he did to him this morning, he probably wouldn’t be in the mood to indulge Sephiroth in anything.

“Come on, you already decided. Now you’re just negotiating.”

“How far is it?”

“Sector 5 where most of the SOLDIERs live.”

“Alright, I’ll just let Vincent know I’ll be a little late getting home.”

 

 

The phone vibrated on Vincent’s desk as his head tipped back, a gasp passing his lips. He wasn’t sure how he went from fist fighting with Veld over his obvious sexual harassment to actually being sexually harassed with Veld’s teeth in his neck. His head rested on Veld’s shoulder as the other man slipped his hand beneath Vincent’s partially unbuttoned shirt. He bit Veld’s ear hard causing the man to jerk away from him. Vincent casually pulled away from him and straightened his shirt.

Veld rolled his eyes with frustration. “Why not at work.”

“I don’t enjoy being the office bitch, Veld.”

“You’re not the office bitch, you’re _my_ bitch,” Veld teased.

The murderous glow in Vincent’s eyes told him he didn’t like the term of endearment. “Or not. If you would’ve kept your job as Commander you could’ve been bending _me_ over the desk instead.”

“I could easily bend you over a desk, Veld. Just because we’ve grown up doesn’t mean who’s superior has changed.”

“Yet here you are as my sec--!”

Veld didn’t get to finish his retort. His back hit the wall painfully, his head knocking against it. He hadn’t even seen Vincent flinch before he was face to face with hose rubicund eyes forever filled with bloodlust. It made Veld back down immediately.

“No matter what I still am and will always be the better Turk, Veld.” He leaned close, brushing their lips together though his expression remained murderously cold. “Outside _and_ inside the bedroom,” he purred. “After all, you’re only top because I let you.”

With a smirk, Vincent backed off, straightened his tie and left.

“It’s down time for me. I’ll take the Costa del Sol file home and be ready to go by Sunday. I’ll be waiting for you at dinner with Sephiroth and his new friend. Be punctual.”

Veld watched after Vincent as the door closed with a playful smile. The years molded Vincent into a much more serious man than he started out, though he was sure parenthood added to the effect. Still, there was much vigor left in him yet. Veld found himself very content with the man. He definitely wouldn’t be late for dinner tonight. After all, he was the only one of Vincent’s lovers that the gunman made real-time for.

 

Vincent went into the elevator and leaned against the glass. Sephiroth would be late tonight, then. He supposed he could let it slide since this was the kid’s first time having a friend over. He just hoped this Genesis didn’t bring unnecessary strife to Sephiroth’s already unstable lifestyle. The elevator paused at the Fleet Executive floor and an angry young blonde stormed in while Vincent was texting his charge.

“Goddamn, son of a bitchin’ lard assed bastard!”

“Afternoon, Lieutenant Highwind,” Vincent murmured casually.

“What the hell’s good about it, Vin!”

“Nothing at all,” Vincent flipped his phone shut and glanced at the pissed off lieutenant, waiting patiently for him to rant. This was, after all, a long elevator ride.

“Bastard’s bustin’ my balls about the _Highwind._ I’m almost done wit ‘er and those yella-livered suit-wearin’ pieces of refried shit are jus’ waitin’ to take ‘er from me!”

“And the space program?”

“Lady ShinRa pushed for it to get started in the middle o’ nowhere past Mt. Nibel. Blah blah, no body’ll get hurt. You oughta sign on, could use that old school science knowledge ya got there.”

“I don’t sully my hands in oil and grime anymore, Chief.”

“Nah, you rather have ‘em soaked in blood.”

“At least I’m allowed to keep my achievements.”

Cid shoved a cigarette into his mouth, practically snarling. “That was a low blow ya son of a bitch. Lucky I like ya. What you and that kid doin’ for summer if ya ain’t gone come out my way.”

“Costa del Sol. I figured I’d take Sephiroth along and let him have some fun while I work.”

Cid laughed. “Always thinkin’ o’ the kid first, eh Vin. That’s why I like ya versus yer other friends. Ain’t dead inside yet.”

Vincent’s brows furrowed. “What makes you say that?”

Cid looked up at the camera and turned his face away so that his lips wouldn’t be read. “Quietest kept, boldest told, your girl Nobel just went through a hella hush-hush divorce from her science-geek husband. Separated cause he don’t approve of her bein’ a Turk no more. Wants her in the Science Department with him. Veld ain’t told you she goin’ through the ringer over that man, huh?”

“That explains why he gave Costa del Sol to me. I’ll go see her when I’m done with this mission.”

“Better check on her, Vin. Much as I hate you Turkeys, Nobel’s not a bad lady. She deserves to go out in a gunfight, not a hangman’s noose if ya catch my drift.”

Vincent nodded, not liking the idea of one of the O-6 not being up to par.

“Oh yeah, gimme a call before ya head out. I’ll give ya a ride on the _Isolde._ It’ll be her maiden voyage.”

“She’s passed inspection?” Vincent not hiding that he was impressed.

“Damn right she did. If he’s anything like you, Sephiroth’ll get a kick outta Tide Ridin’ on her.”

“He’s probably adopted something from me. It’ll definitely be considered.”

“Be just like old times, I say.” Cid knew “considered” already meant yes with Vincent. The elevator stopped on his floor. “I gotta put in a few orders ‘fore I had back to Junon.”

“Drinks tomorrow? My treat?”

Cid laughed and blew smoke. “That better not be _all_ yer treatin’ me to.”

There was a very real smile Vincent’s face as the doors closed. It faded once he was alone.

Vincent Valentine, despite his cold demeanor and near unapproachable aura, was a man of many admirers and lovers. He didn’t often attach himself to just one since his failed relationship with the aloof Lucrecia. She broke him of the naïve notion that there was such a thing as romantic love. Veld and he began to fool around not long after he became Chief commander and even more so when he resigned from the position. Then there was Cid Highwind. Despite both of their respective career allowing for few collaborations, the young captain had been the subject of a few drunken one-night stands that they brushed off or worse didn’t remember. It somehow managed to breed a deeper friendship that Vincent couldn’t boast with anyone else. He supposed it was because neither of them held delusions about what their relationship was about. Then there was Melitta back in the early years when they were just an unnamed black ops team. Both high on Mako treatments, that had been the wildest night he’d ever had with a woman. Every now and then she came around when the treatments had her strung to shit. Then…there was Helena Nobel.

Nobel, his current field partner was one of the best Turks on his team and his first love before Lady ShinRa took their rag-tag group in and made ShinRa employees out of them. It was agreed that that would be as far as either of them wanted to go. She was in love with someone else and Vincent was in Nibel falling under Lucrecia’s spell. His father’s death dealt the final blow to anything romantic between them. Vincent felt nothing about it… Nobel felt everything. They still worked well together, but Vincent did not speak of his father and eventually, she stopped bringing it up. It was best that way and they were closer. If Nobel was in a bad way, it was up to him as the SiC and her friend to make it right for her. The question was why hadn’t Veld said anything about her?

Vincent stepped out of the elevator and down the ShinRa lobby stairs. The front desk receptionist waved at him shyly, averting her eyes when he nodded at her. He didn’t have much interest in her. She was young and surrounded by strapping SOLDIERs. Let someone else satisfy her need for adventure.

Vincent smiled to himself as he realized he’d scrutinized the poor girl in a very Sephiroth-esque way. Sephiroth often would give his very strong opinion about the men and women in Sephiroth’s life and how to deal with them when they became too clingy. Now that we thought about it, Vincent was always quick to dismiss a lover if they didn’t meet Sephiroth’s approval. Somehow Veld, Cid, and Melitta had hung in there for years, Veld less so. Strangely the boy didn’t seem to care much for Nobel.

He wondered what Sephiroth would think if he did know the magnitude of the loves Vincent had from the time he was born until now. He wondered if he should feel ashamed of it. The fact that he could even consider feeling shame… well, it was proof Sephiroth _was_ his raison d’etre. Having him slowed the deterioration in them both.

Vincent would cook for Sephiroth and his new friend.

 

 

Sephiroth stood near the door while Genesis dug in every nook and cranny for the piercing kit. He eventually slapped himself on the forehead and cursed.

“I’m such an idiot!” he went into his room, beckoning Sephiroth to follow behind. “I was using it to re-pierce my ears after my Mako treatment.”

“Mako treatments?”

“Yeah, my dad gives them to me and they heal over my ears.”

Sephiroth felt a chill go up to his spine. “What’s his name?”

“Uh, Hollander. He’s such a prick. Why’d you ask?”

Sephiroth sighed in relief. “Nothing, just thought I might have met him. I guess not.”

Genesis held up the small kit. “Found it! Let’s grab a drink and head out to your place!”  He shoved the kit into a designer duffle bag with the rest of his thing and slung it over his shoulders. “Tonight, I’m going to deflower those beautiful ears of yours.”

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and headed towards the door. He reached for the doorknob and pulled but it was blocked and slammed again by Genesis's hand on the wood. Sephiroth felt a slight charge go through his skin as he narrowed his eyes and turned his head slowly to look at Genesis, ready to defend himself. He found the boy staring at him with an odd sort of hesitation that belied something just this side of predatory. Those irises slipped from their happy blue to a deep lavender crossing almost into a majestic purple. Sephiroth eyes narrowed further, pupils slitting as he calculated what it would take to get Genesis off him should he move wrong. He breathed in deep, the familiar scent of Mako and something _else_ that only those baser, alien instincts recognized.

“Just now…” Genesis pressed closer, slowly showing he was no threat. Their noses touched and Sephiroth’s heart slowed to a steady beat, the quiet that came before what normally was him fighting for his life in the labs. But, he felt no aggression. “You feel it… don’t you?”

Feel it? Yeah. Alien recognizing alien. The pull he sometimes felt around his mother, around Hojo… Sephiroth could only nod.

“I felt it before… when I got close to look at your face. I never wanted so bad to touch and right now I just… I dunno.”

“What is it?” Sephiroth asked, utterly calm.

“I’m told I tend to react strongly to healthier cells than mine…” the read head leaned forward, his cheek sliding against Sephiroth’s in a sweet nuzzle. Sephiroth’s eyes fluttered and just barely pressed back. “You have so much of it… what are you?”

“What are _you?_ ”

Sephiroth didn’t recognize his own breathless for a moment. Genesis laughed a bit and pulled back so that they were nose to nose again.

“What are you?” Sephiroth repeated as Genesis closed the distance. “What… are…”

Genesis pressed balmy lips against his own uninitiated ones, capturing them against him while he was pressed against the door. Sephiroth felt his eyes grow heavy and fall shut. The redhead’s lips massaged his until he clumsily replicated the motions. His hand, of its own volition, reached up and slid along Genesis’s shoulder and neck, coming to rest and gentle jawline. His grip tightened as he meant to pull Genesis in, to… bring him closer, closer, _closer._

_Bzzz! Bzzz! Bzzz!_

They broke apart immediately. They stared at each other with wide disbelieving eyes, the spell completely broken as they appeared almost horrified at what’d just occurred though each for different reasons. Sephiroth quickly wiped his mouth as if something would be left there. Genesis looked away at the carpet, touching his mouth tentatively as though he were wounded. Sephiroth shook his head and took out his phone.

“It’s Vincent, he’s asking how far from home we are. We should go.”

“Yeah. Sorry. I-I don’t know what that was. I mean I don’t do that. That’s, I don’t just kiss people I’ve known for like a few hours!”

“How about we just forget it happened. I don’t think it was anyone’s fault. We can just let it go and leave before we have a Turk looking for us.”

Genesis adjusted his bag awkwardly. “Okay. I’m… I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Sephiroth said, turning back to the door. “It didn’t feel bad.”

 |

|

 

 


End file.
